‘He’s a fighter’: Aston Villa Boss Sends Messages to the Forwards following Europa League Win

Aston Villa manager has spoken out on the forwards in his team and his opponent after their Europa League win.

Villa’s trip to Bologna in the midweek ended on a positive note as they secured an important 3-1 win in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. Ollie Watkins was the key figure in this triumph as he bagged a brace prior to Ezri Konsa’s header in the first half. It was a crucial opener considering Emery’s men were mostly under pressure in the first half.

However, the Spanish boss underlined his striker’s top performance as reported by the club correspondent, John Townley, in Birmingham Mail.
“When we speak about it collectively and individually, Watkins is a fighter. Sometimes he plays brilliantly like today, and sometimes not. When he doesn’t score, we lack something from him. Always he plays well because he always does his task and he works for the team. Scoring two goals is fantastic for him and for us. He is always consistent in his work. As well, we were better than the first half in the long balls for Watkins.“

The former Brentford man displayed his determination, remarkable positioning and clinical finish, just what his team needs at this crucial stage of the season. After being snubbed in England’s latest call-up for the two friendlies in March, he knows there will not be much time left to impress Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup final squad.

Emery’s take on other forwards

Apart from praising his frontman, who has netted his 12th goal this season, Emery also reserves his opinion on other forwards after the game in Renato Dall’Ara. He firstly sent an important message for Tammy Abraham. Watkins’ understudy has not been in his top form since joining the Midland side on loan from Besiktas. He has just registered two goals in 11 matches.

“This (what Watkins did) is the next way and the example for Tammy Abraham. We need Abraham adapting to our idea and competing like he is doing, Watkins. This is the message for the squad and the players.”

Moreover, the Spaniard also underlined his comments on Bologna’s Jonathan Rowe. He was once Villa’s target before snatching Morgan Rogers in January 2024.

“He is playing progressively better this season. We played the first match in the Europa League against Bologna. Since then, and in the analysis we did now, the last matches he has performed very well. He scored a fantastic goal, and we must respect them individually and collectively. I will respect them again and improve things because he threatened us more than we planned.“

The 22-year-old Englishman was constantly showing his pace and acceleration to penetrate Villa’s back line. His attempt to break the deadlock and pose the threat eventually led to his goal to give his team a lifeline before Watkins’ second goal.

The former Olympique Marseille man could be on Villa’s target again in the transfer window should he consistently be in form. He currently has netted seven goals and provided four assists in 35 games with Rossoblu.

Set Pieces Making Difference again

The last night game once again also proved how dead-ball situations played the key roles in The Lions’s important win on the road. Two goals were scored from set plays. The first and the last were both initiated from the corner kick set up by Youri Tielemans.

The work of Austin MacPhee pays off one more time. It did help Aston Villa to score an opener before the interval. It might not have been as fancy as McGinn’s goal versus West Ham from the indirect free kick, but it remains worthy in the big game.

 

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